August 10, 2012

A lightly-regarded
sixth-round draft choice by New England in
2000, Brady got his chance when starting QB Drew Bledsoe was injured in the
second game of the ’01 season. With the young quarterback showing surprising
poise and leadership ability, the team surged in the second half and ended up
with a stunning win over the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. Brady was
selected to the Pro Bowl, as he also would be in 2004 and ‘05. The Patriots won
two more championships over the next three seasons, and he led the NFL with 28
TD passes in 2002 and 4110 yards passing in ‘05. In 2007, he passed for a
NFL-record 50 TDs while also leading the league in passing yards (4806),
completion percentage (68.9), yards per attempt (8.3), and passer rating
(117.2). He was a consensus first-team All-Pro for the first time as well as
league MVP and the Patriots went undefeated in the regular season – however,
they were upset in the Super Bowl by the Giants. Brady’s 2008 season ended
prematurely due to a knee injury in the opening game. He came back to throw for
4398 yards and 28 TDs in 2009 and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth
time.

2010 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16
games

[Bracketed numbers indicate
league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 492 [11]

Most attempts, game – 44
vs. Baltimore
10/17

Completions – 324 [9]

Most completions, game –
30 at Pittsburgh
11/14

Yards – 3900 [8]

Most yards, game – 369
at Chicago
12/12

Completion percentage – 65.9 [5]

Yards per attempt – 7.9 [5]

TD passes – 36 [1]

Most TD passes, game – 4 at Detroit 11/25, vs. NY Jets
12/6

Interceptions – 4

Most interceptions, game – 2
vs. Baltimore
10/17, at NY Jets 9/19

Passer rating – 111.0 [1]

300-yard passing games – 4

200-yard passing games – 10

Rushing

Attempts – 31

Most attempts, game - 5 (for
6 yds.) at Miami
10/4

Yards – 30

Most yards, game – 13 yards
(on 3 carries) at Buffalo
12/26

Yards per attempt – 1.0

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points - 6

Postseason: 1 G (AFC
Divisional playoff vs. NY Jets)

Pass attempts – 45

Pass completions – 29

Passing yardage – 299

TD passes – 2

Interceptions – 1

Rushing attempts – 2

Rushing yards – 2

Average gain rushing – 1.0

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Sporting
News

NFL Offensive Player of the
Year: AP

1st team All-NFL:
AP

Pro Bowl

Patriots went 14-2 to finish
first in the AFC East and gain the top playoff seed in the conference while
leading the NFL in scoring (518 points) and touchdowns (65). Lost AFC
Divisional playoff to New York Jets (28-21).

Aftermath:

Brady had a seventh Pro Bowl
year in 2011, leading the AFC with 5235 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, and a
105.6 passer rating. The Patriots won another AFC title but again fell short
against the Giants in the Super Bowl.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL,
AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell
Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself). Also includes Associated Press
NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.